First disclaimer: I have never driven a pickup in snow. Previous winter rides have always been Range Rovers, which make driving on snow covered roads feel like summer driving.

I have heard plenty of people talk about how helpless a truck is in 2WD. However, a contractor working on a job across the street from me has a SuperDuty and he says these trucks are heavier than a half-ton and do go a little better in 2WD.

Of course, the truck is part-time 4x4, so you have to decide on that fine line of when a road is actually slippery, and when the road might be a little to clear and provide too much traction of 4x4 use.

I guess my questions are 1st about how do these trucks go in snow when in 2WD? Will it go up a snow-covered hill? Should I put weight (sand bags) in the bed? How much weight should I put in? How effective is the traction control?

2nd question is about the stock tires: Continental ContiTrac TR's. How do these go in snow? They don't look fabulous for snow use, but who knows? I'd hate to spend $1200 for snows if these will work. I live in NH and we usually see a lot of snow.

Thanks

 

I can't get anywhere here in Pittsburgh in the winter in 2wd. Lots of hills and my truck will not go up alot of them in 2wd. Weight would probably help, but throwing anything in the bed would get in the way of me using the bed.

The stock tires worked pretty good in my experiences (I had the same ones). The traction control, is great and terrible at the same time. It's saved me from sliding the a$$ end out a few times, but at the same time, I may need a little wheel spin to get some momentum, which is why I just leave it 4wd on those days when there's snow/ice present. If it's plowed, you'll be alright in 2wd the majority of the time.

 

I live in Michigan, we get a lot of snow too.
the continentals that came on my truck were horrible in snow.
I tossed them, and put on BF AT's, WAY better traction.
also, these superdutys are very heavy, and it's not just the starting...
it's the stopping. I thought i was driving a sled. weight in the back
might just make it worse.
do you have mechanical hubs, or automatic?
i have mechanical, so it is a tough decision whether to engage them
before i leave on a trip. i love the mechanical hubs, but when i don't engage
them, and then need them, i am getting out of my truck in a generally not good
situation, to lock them in. (Rain, Deep Mud, Blizzard, etc.)
I would say i can drive my truck in most snowstorms in 2 wheel drive, but
it definitely rocks in 4wd!!! lot's of fun then.

 

Leave 'em locked for the winter, not going to hurt anything but a slight mpg decrease, then if you need 4wd, half the battle is over, throw the lever and move on.

 

yeah, it's just the frugal side in me.
I Live in Michigan.... 4.20$ per gallon.
remember when diesel fuel was cheaper than gas?

 

My hubs are manual, my preference. Too many reports of auto-hub problems. But yeah, annoying to have to get out of the truck and engage...because usually when you *have* to do that, you need 4x4 and you are already in a bad spot, as you mentioned. I guess I will leave them engaged. I have tried running them engaged on dry pavement, then unlocking them on the next trip. I seem to lose about 0.7mpg traveling on the interstate. The other side affect is you can feel the axle u-joints binding slightly when turning at full lock...so of course I try not to use full lock, but maneuvering these things can be tight at times.

In driving on some class VI trails here during the summer, in 2WD, I got a bit of a feel of the traction control. It seems to hit pretty hard and be abrupt. I realize there is a lot of heavy moving mass, etc. Not sure how effective it will be. Usually, its time to engage 4x4 if the traction control is kicking in...and if it is still kicking in after that, probably time to engage the rear locker.

I am also pleased the truck has stability control...hopefully it is effective at keeping the truck in line when a slide starts.

As for the tires, maybe I'll just try them and see how it goes. They look pretty commercial / street oriented. Not much siping.

I hate carrying dead weight in the back (reduces bed usefulness and drops economy) but if it helps, maybe I will. Ride quality will improve, anyway.

Thanks for the info...if anyone else has run these tires in the winter, would be interested to hear.

 

Since you live in snow country, seriously consider a set of dedicated winter tires and wheels.

I found a set of Ford 18" aluminum wheels on e-bay for ~400.00 and mounted a set of studded Firestone Winterforce tires on them. This transforms a marginal winter truck into something that is basically unstoppable.

The stock Ford tires are actually very decent over-the-road tires, but they are poor performers in snow. It is tough to find tires that work 100% year around. 2 sets of tires/wheels work OK for me.

Lou Braun

 

The Continental ContiTrac TR's have a poor reputation on this forum on anything besides dry pavement.

 

Mine were only on my truck for the first week I brought it home. The only reason for that is they had to order the tire size I needed for my BFG A/T KO's.

I took one look at those Contri's tread pattern at the dealer and said these have to go.

Yeah, we get snow. Not always, but we get it. The big storm in April dumped over 2 feet on us in one storm. Had no trouble getting out and around with no weight in the bed.

My hubs are auto, so I have the flexibility of starting in 2WD. You may get by with some weight in the bed and running the rear electric locker? Give that a try, just don't put too much stock in those street tires.

 

X2

Either buy yourself a good A/T tire, or buy dedicated wheels/ snow tires for the winter. I'm getting ready myself to throw to purchase tires for the winter on a new truck.

 

I had the Conticraps on my last truck and they were brutal in the snow. I replaced them with with Michelin LTX AT2's and there was a noticeable improvement.

My current truck came with the Michelins. They are a great all around tire. Bridgestone Dueler Revos or Good Year Silent Armors are also good choices.

If you upgrade your tires you can easily sell the Conticraps on Craigslist for decent money.

 

This is what I did and I think it is the best solution especially if you plan on keeping the truck for a long time. The up front cost to have two sets of tire can be offset by a few factors.
1.) you can use the OEM tire for at least two seasons longer if they are not needed to plow.
2.) your dedicated snow tires can be used for 5-7 seasons since they will only be on for 3-4,000 miles per winter.
3.) even a good all terrain tire will lose its effectiveness in snow as the tread wears down
4.) the superior performance of a winter only tire will make you more efficient and profitable.
5.) you can take on work that most guys stay away from like sloped driveways, etc. and charge a premium.
6.) you will be less likely to need to be pulled out of a snow bank.
7.) you reduce the chance of damaging property. Being able to stop can be more important than traction while pushing.
8.) piece of mind....priceless

 

I had Continentals snow (no chain) rated tires when i first bought the truck. After the first snow and getting stuck and being pulled out by a Cayenne, I went to the tire store and got me some Goodyear AT/S's they have fantastic handling both on and off road.

 

It sounds like the stock Conti tires are not good for winter. They have been fine for over the rod driving, nice and quiet, seem to do well in wet driving. I may give them a try through the first snow storm and then I can always call the tire rack. I'd get the Blizzak DMV-1 snows, these are fantastic in my experience. I'm not plowing this year, so that won't be a consideration.

 

Sorry Troverman, I had Mich AT2's that came stock on my truck, not the conti's. My bad.

So contrary to my original post, and inline with everyone else's comment, the conti's have a poor rep.